Mounting device of the guide rail of a drawer slide

ABSTRACT

Mounting device ( 10 ) of the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail ( 14 ) of a roller drawer slide for drawers and the like disposed inside a cabinet body and spaced from the adjacent sidewall of the cabinet body on the rear wall of the cabinet body by a mounting fitting ( 12 ), which includes a mounting plate ( 16 ) attachable to the rear wall of the cabinet and a rail support ( 18 ) adjustably supported on the mounting plate ( 16 ), wherein the rail support ( 18 ) is formed by an adjustment plate ( 26 ) movably secured on the mounting plate ( 16 ), with a mounting profile receiving the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail protruding from the adjustment plate ( 26 ) towards the open cabinet side.  
     The mounting profile is formed as a profile section ( 34 ) with an end that is open toward the front side of the body for insertion of the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail ( 14 ), wherein the profile section ( 34 ) surrounds the guide rail on the side facing the cabinet sidewall as well as on the top and bottom side and is open on the side facing the drawer slide. The partial sections of the profile section ( 34 ) which surround the top and bottom side of the guide rail ( 14 ) have an unobstructed spacing from each other that is a greater than the vertical height of the guide rail ( 14 ) as measured across the outside. The end section of the guide rail ( 14 ) received in the profile section ( 34 ) is deformed downwardly in at least a partial section by an amount corresponding to the difference between the unobstructed height between the sections of the profile section ( 34 ) surrounding the guide rail ( 14 ) and the outside height of the guide rail ( 14 ).

The invention relates to a mounting device of the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail of a roller drawer slide for drawers and the like disposed inside a cabinet body and spaced from the adjacent sidewall of the cabinet body on the rear wall of the cabinet body by a mounting fitting. The mounting device includes a mounting plate attachable to the rear wall of the cabinet and a rail support adjustably supported on the mounting plate. The rail support is formed by an adjustment plate which is movably secured on the mounting plate. A mounting profile receiving the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail protrudes from the adjustment plate towards the open cabinet side.

The guide rail of drawer guides, by which drawers, tray tables, device carriers and the like are supported in a cabinet body so that they can be pulled out and pushed in again, are typically attached directly on the interior surface of the associated cabinet sidewall. In certain types of cabinets, which are predominantly manufactured for kitchens sold in United States of America, the unobstructed front cabinet opening is narrowed by a circumferential frame, so that the drawers or other pullout elements can only have a width that corresponds to the unobstructed width of the frame between the vertical front edges. The guide rail to be attached to the cabinet body can then not be directly attached to the sidewall of the cabinet, but must be offset from the sidewall towards the inside of the cabinet by a distance corresponding to the width of the frame. The front end of the guide rail is suitably attached to the inside or the free front edge of the frame with screws, whereas the rear end of the guide rail inside of the cabinet body must be secured to the rear wall of the cabinet.

It is known to adjustably support the cabinet-internal ends of the guide rail of drawer slides in mounting fittings oriented horizontally and transversely to the pullout direction of the drawers. The mounting fittings are secured to the rear cabinet wall and spaced apart from the corresponding adjacent sidewall of the cabinet body (U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,181). The transversely movably mount in the mounting fitting for the guide rail, which is secured to the rear wall, is configured as a tab, which is folded back on the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail at a right angle in the displacement direction and can be inserted in a suitable receiving opening in the mounting fitting and secured in selectable displacement positions. According to one embodiment disclosed therein, the folded-back tab is not formed as a single piece with the corresponding guide rail, but a separate tab holder is provided instead, which can be fittingly placed on the cabinet-internal end of a standard guide rail.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a mounting device for the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail of a roller drawer guide in a cabinet body, which is spaced from the adjacent side wall and which provides a self-locking and retraction function for the drawer slide when the drawer is in or close to the closed position, without requiring a spring-tensioned retraction mechanism of the type required with other roller-supported drawer slides.

Starting with the mounting device of the aforedescribed type, the object of the invention is solved in that the mounting profile is formed as a profile section, which is open on its end facing the front side of the body for insertion of the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail, which surrounds the guide rail on the side facing the cabinet sidewall as well as on the top and bottom side, and which is open on the side facing the drawer slide, in that the partial sections of the profile section which surround the guide rail on the top and bottom side have an unobstructed spacing from each other that is a greater than the vertical height of the guide rail as measured across the outside, and in that the end section of the guide rail received in the profile section is deformed downwardly in at least a partial section by an amount corresponding to the difference between the unobstructed height between the sections of the profile section surrounding the guide rail and the outside height of the guide rail. By making the unobstructed height of the profile section greater than the height of the guide rail to be supported in the profile section, an additional deformation can be applied on the end section of the guide rail in the vertical direction. The self-locking and/or retraction function—in a manner generally known for roller-type drawer slides—can be achieved by deforming the lower track of the guide rail that receives the roller provided on the cabinet-internal end of the drawer slide.

The guide rails of the drawer guide are hereby formed by a metal profile with an elongated wall, which in a desired mounting position is essentially perpendicular, wherein tracks forming strip-like sections for at least one rotatably supported roller are bent upward and downward, respectively, on the upper and lower edge of the wall. The strip-like sections are encompassed by the upper and lower partial section of the profile section of the rail support. The intended self-retracting function is achieved according to the invention in that at least the lower strip-like section of the guide rail slopes downwardly in the downwardly deformed region. During the transition of the corresponding roller of the drawer slide, the weight transmitted between the track and the guide rail and the circumference of the roller produces a force component with a direction different from the horizontal, which pulls the drawer slide and also the corresponding drawer into the closing position of the drawer.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, channel-like grooves are formed in the transition region of the profile section, which extend in the insertion direction between the vertical wall and the strip-like sections surrounding the guide rail. Tab-like projections, which are provided in the downwardly deformed region and which protrude perpendicular from the guide rail in the opposite direction, engage with the grooves, so that the guide rails are exactly vertical in the intended mounting position.

Advantageously, in one embodiment, the distance measured in the vertical direction over the free end faces of the tab-like projections can be essentially equal to the distance measured between the bottom surfaces of the grooves.

The tab-like projections are advantageously offset from each other in the longitudinal direction of the guide rails, whereby the vertically upwardly projecting tab-like projection is preferably offset towards the rear against the insertion direction relative to the vertically downwardly projecting tab-like projection.

Preferably, the tab-like projections can protrude integrally from the essentially perpendicular wall of the guide rail. Alternatively, the tab-like projections could also be also manufactured separately and subsequently attached to the guide rail.

In the region where the projections engage in the grooves, the width of the grooves can essentially be equal to the thickness of the material of the tab-like projections measured perpendicular to the insertion direction, so as to hold the guide rail in the intended mounting position without play.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a strip-like end section can be provided on the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail, which is bent back from the essentially vertical wall in the same direction as the upper and the lower strip-like section. The strip-like end section can have an arcuate shape and extend over at least a portion of the height of the vertical wall. The unobstructed radius of the arcuate end section can be essentially equal to the radius of the roller provided on the end of the corresponding rail of the drawer slide facing the inside of the drawer. The arcuate end section therefore represents a limit stop for the corresponding roller of the drawer slide, when the drawer slide is in the completely retracted end position.

An embodiment of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. It is shown in:

FIG. 1 an isometric view of a mounting device of the invention of the cabinet-internal end of a guide rail of a roller drawer slide for drawers and the like, with a mounting fitting which can be attached on the rear wall of a cabinet body with a spacing from its sidewalls;

FIG. 2 a view of the mounting device as seen in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 an isometric view of the mounting device, which is similar to that of FIG. 1 except for a slightly different viewing angle, without the mounting plate of the mounting fitting that can be attached directly to the rear wall of the cabinet;

FIG. 4 an isometric view of the end of the guide rail of a roller drawer slide for installation in the mounting fitting according to the invention; and

FIG. 5 a view of the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail as seen in the direction of arrow 5 of FIG. 4.

The mounting device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, labeled with reference symbol 10, is formed by a mounting fitting 12 secured to the rear wall of a cabinet body (not shown) and a guide rail 14 releasably mounted with its cabinet-internal end on the mounting fitting 12 so as to be transversely movable in the horizontal direction.

The mounting fitting is comprised of a mounting plate 16 that can be secured on the cabinet-internal flat surface of the rear wall of the cabinet body and a rail holder 18 (FIG. 3) which is supported on the mounting plate 16 for transverse displacement.

The mounting plate 16 has in the illustrated embodiment the shape of a rectangular or square baseplate 20, from which two spaced-apart, perpendicular pairs of rib-shaped guide projections 22 protrude, which themselves are spaced apart in the horizontal direction. The lateral surfaces of the guide projections 22 facing the respective other pair of guide projections include continuous groove-shaped recesses 24, which also form guides oriented horizontally in the transverse direction and are adapted to receive the horizontal edges of an adjustment plate 26, which forms a part of the rail holder 18.

A pin 28 with a circular cross-section protrudes from the central region of the mounting plate 16. The pin 28 in the illustrated embodiment is disposed on the end portion of an elastic tongue 30, which is cut free from the material of the mounting plate and can therefore be resiliently pushed back into a hollow space provided below the tongue in the mounting plate. Alternatively, following insertion of the adjustment plate 26 in the guide formed by the guide projections 22 of the mounting plate 16, the pin 28 could also be inserted through a horizontal slot 32 in the adjustment plate 26, and installed in the mounting plate, for example screwed into a threaded bore.

The pin 28 engaging in the slot 32 limits the adjustment range of the adjustment plate 26 relative to the mounting plate 16 to a distance defined by the length of the slot 32. The adjustment plate 26 can be installed on and removed from the mounting plate 16 by pushing the pin 28 under the backside of the adjustment plate during insertion and removal of the adjustment plate 26, allowing the adjustment plate 26 to be pushed over the free end face of the pin 28.

Various attachment openings are provided in the peripheral regions of the baseplate 20 of the mounting plate beyond the range intended for adjustment of the adjustment plate 26 on the mounting plate, so that mounting screws can be directly inserted into the rear wall of the cabinet, or attachment pins protruding from the bottom side of the mounting plate can be attached, by which the through openings associated with the mounting plate can be secured to the rear wall of the cabinet.

A profile section, which is fixedly connected with the adjustment plate, is integrally attached on the side of the adjustment plate 24 facing away from the mounting plate, for receiving the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail 14. The profile section has a cross-section, whereby narrower strip-like sections 38 a, 38 b are connected on each of the upper and lower edges of an elongated vertical web sections 36, with edge strips 38 c, 38 d, which are bent-over toward the free edges of the sections 38 a, 38 b, being connected to the sections 38 a, 38 b. The profile section 34 is therefore open between the free edges of the edge strips 38 c, 38 d.

The cabinet-internal end of the guide rail 14 to be supported in the mounting fitting 10 can be inserted into the profile section from the front end facing away from the baseplate.

The guide rail itself has over most of its length the conventional shape of a metallic profile with an elongated wall 40 which is essentially perpendicular in the intended mounting position. Strip-like sections 42 a, 42 b forming tracks for at least one roller, which is rotatably supported on the associated track rail, are folded back, wherein on the free edge of at least the upper strip-like section 42 a an edge strip 42 c is provided which is bent over in the downward direction and surrounds the top side of the roller that is guided in the track of the associated guide rail 14, thereby preventing a roller moving between the strip-like sections 42 a, 42 b of an associated track from exiting the track laterally. The height of the guide rail 14 as measured across the outside of the strip-like sections 42 a, 42 b is less than the unobstructed distance measured between the insides of the strip-like sections 38 a, 38 b of the profile section 34. The guide rail 14 would therefore be received in the profile section 34 a with a vertical play, unless the additional measures described below are implemented on the cabinet-internal end section of the guide rail 14.

To compensate for this play in the vertical (height) direction and to hold the guide rail 14 received in the profile section 34 without play in the intended mounting position, groove-like channels 44, which extend in the insertion direction from the vertical web section 36 to the strip-like sections 38 a, 38 b, are disposed in the transition region 34 of the profile section. Tap-like projections 46 a, 46 b which are connected integrally with the wall 40 and protrude upward and downward, respectively, over the strip-like sections 42 a, 42 b in the plane of the vertical wall 40 of the guide rail 14, engage with corresponding grooves 44. The distance measured in the vertical direction over the free end faces of the tap-like projections is essentially identical to the spacing between the bottom faces of the grooves 44. The free faces of the tap-like projections 46 a, 46 b then make contact with the bottom faces of the grooves 44 in the intended mounting position of the guide rail in the profile section 34, so that the guide rail 14 is held without play there between in the profile section 34.

Unlike the section 42 b which is oriented horizontally over most of the length of the guide rail 14, the end section 42 d received in the profile section 34 is sloped downwardly. The magnitude of the slope of the end section 42 d and the protruding length of the tap-like projection 46 b in the downward direction are selected so that in the intended mounting position of the guide rail in the mounting fitting, the free end of the section 42 d is positioned on the interior surface of the lower strip-like section 38 b adjacent to the provided groove 44.

In the illustrated embodiment, the end section 42 e of the strip-like section 42 a of the guide rail 14 facing the downwardly sloping section 42 d has likewise a downward slope. This section 42 e then transitions on the cabinet-internal end into a downwardly bent-over arcuate section 42 f, which forms the limit stop for the cabinet-internal roller of the associated track rail.

Because the tap-like projections 46 a and 46 b are slightly offset in the end region of the guide rail 14 in the longitudinal direction of the rail, it becomes clear that the guide rail 14 can then be inserted in the profile section 34 without jamming, by first tilting the profile rails before insertion in the profile section 34, so that the section 42 d of the lower strip-like section 42 b is oriented horizontally. The vertical component of the distance between the faces of the tap-like projections 46 a, 46 b thereby decreases, so that the guide rail can be inserted without jamming when the tap-like projections 46 a, 46 b are oriented in accordance with the associated grooves 44. After being fully inserted, the guide rail is then lifted on the cabinet-external end into the intended horizontal mounting position and suitably secured with its cabinet-external end to the cabinet body, whereby any remaining play is compensated when the inner end is inserted.

It can be seen that various modifications and improvements can be implemented in the aforedescribed embodiment without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Such modifications can relate, for example, to the design of the mounting elements used to mount the mounting plate on the rear wall of the cabinet. For example, by manufacturing the mounting plate from a thermoplastic material, mounting pins can be integrally formed on the bottom side of the mounting plate that faces the rear wall of the cabinet. Such mounting pins can be inserted in corresponding through-openings provided in the rear wall of the cabinet and then, for example, locked in the through-openings with tongues and the like which elastically protrude from the pin. The guide projections 42 and the elastic tongue with the pin 28 can then be formed as integral parts of the mounting plate by injection molding. 

1. Mounting device (10) of the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail (14) of a roller drawer slide for drawers and the like disposed inside a cabinet body and spaced from the adjacent sidewall of the cabinet body on the rear wall of the cabinet body by a mounting fitting (12), which includes a mounting plate (16) attachable to the rear wall of the cabinet and a rail support (18) adjustably supported on the mounting plate (16), the rail support (18) formed by an adjustment plate (26) movably secured on the mounting plate (16), with a mounting profile receiving the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail protruding from the adjustment plate (26) towards the open cabinet side, characterized in that the mounting profile is formed as a profile section (4), which is open on its end facing the front side of the body for insertion of the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail (14), surrounds the guide rail on the side facing the cabinet sidewall as well as on the top and bottom side, and is open on the side facing the drawer slide, that the partial sections of the profile section (34) which surround the guide rail (14) on the top and bottom side have an unobstructed spacing from each other that is a greater than the vertical height of the guide rail (14) as measured across the outside, and that the end section of the guide rail (14) received in the profile section (34) is deformed downwardly in at least a partial section by an amount corresponding to the difference between the unobstructed height between the sections of the profile section (34) surrounding the guide rail (14) and the outside height of the guide rail (14).
 2. Mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the guide rail (14) is formed by a metal profile with an elongated wall (40), which in a desired mounting position is essentially vertical, wherein strip-like sections (42 a; 42 b) forming tracks for at least one rotatably supported roller are bent over on the upper and lower edge of the wall, which sections (42 a; 42 b) are encompassed by the upper and lower partial section of the profile section of the rail support, characterized in that at least the lower strip-like section (42 b) of the guide rail has in the insertion direction of the drawer a downward slope in the downwardly deformed region (42 d).
 3. Mounting device according to claim 2, characterized in that channel-like grooves (44) are formed in the transition region of the profile section (34), which extend in the insertion direction between the vertical wall (36) and the strip-like sections (38 a; 38 b) surrounding the guide rail, and that tab-like projections (46 a; 46 b), which are provided in the downwardly deformed region and which protrude perpendicular from the guide rail (14) in the opposite direction, engage with the grooves (44).
 4. Mounting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the distance measured in the vertical direction over the free end faces of the tab-like projections (46 a; 46 b) is essentially equal to the distance measured between the bottom surfaces of the grooves (44).
 5. Mounting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the tab-like projections (46 a; 46 b) are offset from each other in the longitudinal direction of the guide rails.
 6. Mounting device according to claim 5, characterized in that the vertically upwardly projecting tab-like projection (46 a) is offset towards the rear against the insertion direction relative to the vertically downwardly projecting tab-like projection (46 b).
 7. Mounting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the tab-like projections (46 a; 46 b) protrude integrally from the essentially perpendicular wall (40) of the guide rail (14).
 8. Mounting device according to claim 3, characterized in that in the region of the projections engaging in the grooves (44), the width of the grooves (44) is essentially equal to the thickness of the material of the tab-like projections (46 a; 46 b) measured perpendicular to the insertion direction.
 9. Mounting device according to claim 2, characterized in that a strip-like end section (42 f), which is folded back from the essentially vertical wall (40) in the same direction as the upper and lower strip-like sections, is provided on the cabinet-internal end of the guide rail (14), with the strip-like end section (42 f) having an arcuate shape and extending over at least a portion of the height of the vertical wall (40), wherein the unobstructed radius of the arcuate end section (42 f) is essentially equal to the radius of the roller provided on the end of the corresponding rail of the drawer slide that faces the inside of the drawer. 